Process of removing surplus powder from surfaces



M. S. ROSENFELD. PROCESS OF REMOVING SURPLUS POWDER FROM SURFACES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, I919.

Patented Feb. 24, 1920.

5 wvewtoz MAURICE S. ROSENFELD, OF NEVIARK, NEH-JERSEY, ASSIGNGR TO DECALMO MACHINE COMPANY, INC., A CQRPORATION OF DELAWARE.

PROCESS OF REMOVING SURPLUb POVIDER FROM SURFACES.

Application filed June 12, 191% To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LLiAURICE S. Rosen- FELD, a citizen of the United States,residing in Newark, in the county of Essex, in the State of New Jersey, have invented, certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Removing Surplus Powder from Surfaces, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a process of removing surplus powder from surfaces, and more particularly theinvention relates to a process of removing surplus powder from the transfer tape upon, which'decalcomanias are printed. V

Decalcomanias or transfer pictures are commonly printed upon waxed paper, the wax serving to hold the decalcomania on the paper, so that it can be removed there from by the application of heat and pressure to the back of the paper when the de calcomania is transferred to the textile or other goods it is designed to mark. The decalcoinania or transfer picture is usually composed of several ingredients in superposed layers, one of which is the coloring matter constituting the body of the decalcomania. This coloring matter is often applied in a powdered form, such as bronze or gold dust and the like. Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience, the coloring matter will be referred to as a bronze powder, although the invention is not limited to the removal of such powder from surfaces. Inasmuch as the bronze is applied to the transfer tape in a powdered state, it is not printed or impressed upon the tape in the form of a design, but is dusted on the tape loosely and is caught and held by the tacky surface of a design previously printed upon the tape. powder and the wax with which the surface of the transfer tape is coated that not only does the bronze powder adhere to the tacky design, but it also adheres so closely to the waxed surface of the transfer tape that it cannot be shaken therefrom, but must be positively removed. If this surplus bronze powder adhering tothe waxed surface of the transfer tape and surrounding each de calcomania or transfer picture is, not removed from the transfer tape, it is transferred to the goods to be marked. by the decalconiania when the wax :is melted to re lease the decalcomania from the transfer Specification of Letters Patent.

Such is the nature of the bronze Patented Feb. 24, 1920.

Serial No. 303,684.

tape. The surplus bronze powder on the goods is detrimental to the appearance of the decalcomania and renders the use of a decalcomania made by the method above described uncommercial. The object of the present invention is to produce a process of removing the surplus bronze powder from the waxed surface of the transfer tape upon which decalconianias are printed; but it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to this purpose, since in its broader aspect it is applicable to the removal of any kind of powder from waxed or unwaXed surfaces.

The decalcomanias or transfer pictures are conveniently printed or impressed at uniform intervals upon a strip or tape of waxed paper. In building up the decalcomanias on the transfer tape, there is first printed a design composed of some tacky 7' substance. Before this substance is dry, the transfer tape is sprinkled thickly with the coloring matter, such as the bronze powder or the like. hen the tacky substance is dry, causing the bronze powder immediately in contact with it to adhere firmly thereto, the surplus bronze powder upon the design and that upon the waxed surface of the transfer tape is removed. The process of removing the surplus bronze powder from the waxed surface of the transfer tape and from the design constituting the decalcomania comprises bringing the bronze powder covered surface of the transfer tape in contact with a powder removing surface and then, without rubbing the two surfaces together, separating them. The

surplus and loose bronze powder upon the transfer tape adheres to the powder removing surface and thus the surplus powder is positively removed from the transfer tape. The powder removing surface is coated with a sticky substance to facilitate the removal of the powder from the transfer tape. Care must be taken that the action is that of daubing or pressing the powder remover against the transfer tape and, without rubbing, separating the two surfaces by a pulling apart or lifting action. Thisis made necessary by the fact that if a substance is rubbed over the bronze powder covered surface of the waxed paper, the rubbing causes some of the bronze powder to strike into the wax coating of the paper. The powder removing surface or powder remover is preferably powder upon the tape.

made of some yielding material somewhat softer than the wax, so that when it is pressed upon the "transfer tape the bronze powder is not driven into the wax. The powder remover may be of any form answering the purpose, but when the operation of removing the powder is pen. formed mechanically it is preferably made of felt or of aniixture of gelatin and molasses in the form of a'roll. Inasmuch as there are usually several layers of surplus bronze powder upon the transfer tape, a

pressing and lifting contact between the powder remover and the transfer tape is repeated as often as there are layers of lVhere the opera: tion ofzre'moving the powder is performed mechanically, there are provided as many rolls as'thcre are layers of surplus bronze powder uponthe transfer tape. This seldo'm or never exceeds three or,at most, four layers. V In the drawings illustrating an apparatus by which the process of removing the surplus bronze powder from wax coated transfer tapes may be practised, there is pro vided a seriesof powder removing rolls, 1, 2, 3 and 4:. These rolls are mounted onpins and are rotated at a uniform rate of speed. The, peripheral surface of each roll is sup plied with-a film of some moist and sticky substance, such as gum-arabic, from a feed block 5--composed of felt. Each feed block is saturated with the gum-arabie and occupies the lower end'of a water cup 6. The water forikeeping the gum-arabic in the block-of felt moist is fed to the water cup by a wick 7- depending from a reservoir 8, from which the wick draws the water, drop by drop, by capillary attraction. The

blocksof gunusaturated felt 5 are thus kept .moist, as the water seeps or percolates through them and carries withit some of the gum-arabic which coats the peripheral surface of the roll with a coating of moist and sticky, gum. When the transfer tape 9 is brought into contact with the powder removing rolls, the, first roll, of course, re-

.moves the greater quantity of powder, and

each of the remaining rolls removes a de 7 creasing amount, the fourth roll usually reu moving little or no powder.

'provided with a cleaning block 10, which keeps the surface of the rolls fresh and Each roll is clean.

thus thoroughly removed from the waxed surface of the transfer tape and the loose bronze powder also removed from the design, the transfer tape is then brought into contact with aroll 11 moistened with water only, which washes the transfer tape. The transfer tape is then passed under a polish ing roll 12, which rotates at a higher rate of speed than the other rolls andthus serves to harden and polish the surface of are bronze powder adhering firmly to the tacky substance constituting the decalcomania design, 7

The transfer tape 9 is fed throi'igh the apparatus from a supply reel 13 to a take-up reel 14; The linear "ate of feed of the transfer tape is equal to the peripheral speed of thepowder removing rolls, so that there will be no rubbing action between the rolls and the tape, but rather the contact between the rolls and the tape will be a pressing together of the two surfaces and a lifting apart. The action ofthepowder removing rolls upon the transfer tape is thus a duplication of the manual act of pressing apiece of felt upon the tape and then carefully lifting it therefrom. The transfer tape is pressed into contact or engagement with the powder removing rolls by a series of pressure rolls '15, each of these rollsbeing flanged so. as to properly guide the transfer tape. r

It has been found by experiment that if a piece of felt or other yielding arrace coated with a sticky substance is rubbed over a bronze powder covered transfer tape, much of the bronze powder is struck into the wax coating of the transfer tape so that when the tape'is heated to melt the wax to releasethe decalcomania, the bronze powder which has been driven into the wax then released by the melted wax and deposited upon the goodstowhich the decalconiania is applied; Wvherefhowever, the pieceof felt or other yielding surface coated with the stick substance is carefully pressed uponthe transfertape, then lifted off without rubbing, andthe operation repeated as many times as there are separate layers of powder upon'the tape, the bronze powder is effectively removed andfis not driven into the wax. The fact that when the transfer tape is passed throu h the apparatus in contact with the pow' er removgoods no surplus powder is deposited on mg rolls and is afterward applied to the the goods proves that the action between V the powder removing rolls and the transfer tape is not a rubbing action.

It is to be understood that the form of apparatus illustrated in the drawings for performing the process of removing surplus powder from surfaces is only one of many forms adapted for this purpose. The essential feature to be observed in the practice of the process and in the construction of apparatus for. performing is it mechanically is that the powder removing surface shall not be rubbed against the bronze powder covered surface of the waxed paper where the latter is the kind of surface from which the surplus powder is to be removed. In the apparatus shown in the drawings, the powder removing surfaces are the peripheral surfaces of rolls, rolls being chosen for the sake of'economy and mechanical convenience. It will be understood, however, that various other mechanical constructions are adapted for the same purpose.

An apparatus suitable for carryingout the herein described process is described and claimed in application Serial No. 303,685; and a transfer tape is disclosed and claimed in application Serial No. 303,683 both of even date herewith.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new is 1. The process of removing surplus powder from surfaces, which comprises bring-inga powder removing surface covered with a sticky substance in contact with a powder covered surface and separating it therefrom without a rubbingmovement thereon.

2. The process of removing surplus powder from surfaces, which comprises subjecting a powder covered surface to the sequential action of a series of powder removingered surface from the powder removing surfaces without a rubbing movement between them;

a. The process of removing powder from surfaces, which comprises pressing a powder removing surface covered with a sticky substance upon a powder covered surface and removing it therefrom without a rubbing movement.

The process of removing bronze powder from a waxed surface, which comprises pressing a powder removing surface covered with a sticky substance against the powder covered waxed surface and lifting it therefrom without rubbing the waxed surface.

6. The process of removing bronze powder from a waxed surface, which comprises bringing a powder removing surface coated with a sticky substance and a Waxed surface covered with bronze powder into contact, separating them without a rubbing movement between them, washing the waxed surface and then polishing" it.

'7. The process of removing bronze powder from a waxed surface, which comprises bringing a powder removing surface coated with a sticky substance into contact with a waxed surface covered with bronze powder, separating the two without a rubbing movement between them and repeating the operation until all the bronze powder is removed from the waxed surface.

MAURICE S. ROSENFELD. 

